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30 Mar 2015

Story Of Tublu ~ Book Review

I
received this book from the debutant author himself. When I first saw the book, I found the title was impressive
with a good cover design. Story Of Tublu : An Amazing Journey Called Lifeby Jahid Akhtar - A
straightforward, heart warming story of a boy and a girl, put in a simple and
neat narration.

Being a slow reader, I managed to finish reading it in a couple of days. I enjoy
thrillers the most but though this novel did not have any twists or thrilling
scenes, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

The story is about Tublu, our protagonist who developed a silent love for his
secret crush - Maina. It’s
a journey through different phases of life, from childhood through adolescence
to adulthood.

In the chapters where the author portrays the essence of adolescence, I had
some nostalgic moments of my boarding school and college days. Seniors,
ragging, the hostel friendships and especially the boy talks. I personally
enjoyed the mentions of Mahabharata, Chitrahar, Doordarshan news and Sunday movies.

The narration was simple with bare facts. Anyone can tie in with the story and dialogues. It was like traveling with each character. Tublu's characterization took a
backseat in few scenes as the focus shifted onto other characters. This slowed
down my reading but the story moved on in it’s own pace. Maina's characterization
could have etched better. I liked the character Shilpa, a care free girl. With
her brief presence, she made an impact to the story. I liked the relationship
Tublu and Shilpa share.

To me, if the first few chapters don't impress me much, I'd lose my interest
in reading the book and take my own time to complete it. This straightforward
story didn't offer me much thrill but its simplicity kept me reading. As the
story took its pace, I was glued towards the end.

I think it’s better to skip the foreword for its spoilers. It reveals the
climax right before the start. Even though it is a predictable drama, its
better to let the scenes unfold as the story moves on.

Author Jahid Akhtar is one of my blogger friends. He enjoys writing about some
of his unforgettable moments, in his blog - Flashbacks. I like reading his write ups especially for the sense of humour and that continued in this book too. It’s a wonderful job done for his
debut novel.

Altogether, this book is an engaging read and perfectly light when you want to
chill out on a journey.

I am...

I love to rhyme with words while I pen down my thoughts. I love to capture little moments that make me happy and I believe my visuals speak more than my words. I scribble Stories, Poems, Reviews and more to make my world special.